畅游尼罗河谷

    -The longest river in the world, the Nile, flows through the north-western area of Africa, and then into the Mediterranean¹ Sea.
    Great civilizations have always flourished alongside rivers, but the Egyptian civilization, which started on the Nile, is the most fascinating and mysterious in the history of mankind.
    The Nile valley is a fertile one where there is an abundance of water and sun, elements which the ancient Egyptian believed were gods, they called the sun Amon and the Nile Apis.
    Memphis was the first great capital of Egypt, united as a single kingdom in the third millennium² B.C..But the Nile burst its banks a few centuries ago, flooding the ancient capital.
    The river however has given more than it has taken, enough to make Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian say: Egypt is a gift from the Nile.
    The annual floods left precious silt³ on the fields, a miraculous⁴ natural fertilizer which made the crops grow luxuriantly.
    This instrument, called a Nilometer was used by the ancient Pharaohs to establish how high the periodic floods would be. The Nilometer, on the presupposition that the harvest would be plentiful⁵, was nothing other than a device for setting income tax level.
    The date palm is without a doubt the plant which characterizes Egyptian agriculture more than anything else. The peasants use it to make roofs, to construct furniture, to weave baskets; but above all the sweetest fruit on earth grows on the palm: the date.
    On display are the souks. Red dates can be purchased here. They are dry and crunchy, less sweet than the others; the semi-sweet ones have all the shades of orange; the brown and the black ones are very soft, and their sugar seems to dissolve in your mouth.
    If the Nile yields simple, raw materials, the inspiration of its people gives rise to one of the most perfumed, flavorsome and colorful cuisine⁶ in North Africa. Food in Egypt is hot and spicy⁷, drenched⁸ in sauces.
    The national dish is fouhl, a fragrant⁹ soup of beans which is sold on every street corner.
    Egyptians tend to wash down these libations with black tea. Non-Muslims also enjoy the fine local wines and beer, whose origins are actually Egyptian. Ever since the 3rd dynasty drinking it while eating bread was considered a good omen¹⁰.
    What we are seeing is the village near Luxor, which is characterized by the typical houses built with mud and straw.
    Some of these houses have been painted with colorful drawings, which are very curious. Aeroplanes, departures, ships and scenes from journeys. These painted walls tell us about the Islamic custom of going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. A duty which should be carried out at least once in a lifetime, an event that is to be passed down to descendants with a vivid fresco¹¹.
    The population on the Nile has grown at a dizzying rate, giving rise to a great metropolis¹² of the size of Cairo the second most populous¹³ city in the world.
    To see the swarming¹⁴ crowds in the capital it would seem that the lesson of Ramese II, whose colossal¹⁵ stature¹⁶ is located near Cairo's Central Station, is still alive in Egypt. Ramses II had more than a hundred children and in Egypt today a baby is born every 20 seconds. The population is very young and half of its 54 million inhabitants are under 20 years old.
    The crowds in Cairo, the hustle¹⁷ and bustle¹⁸ of the typical souk, are an unmissable spectacle for people arriving in Egypt, a brilliant contrast to the mysterious charm of the monuments of the Pharaohs.
    These solemn states are almost participants in modern life. You can almost find your ideas about the Nile reflected in their eyes.
    世界上最长的河流尼罗河，流经非洲西北部，最终汇入地中海。
    伟大的人类文明多发源于河流两岸，但人类历史上最为绚丽、神秘的是使于尼罗河的古埃及文明。
    尼罗河谷拥有充足的淡水与阳光，这二者被古埃及人奉为神灵，他们尊称太阳为AMON，称尼罗河为APIS。
    孟菲斯是埃及第一个首都，公元前3000年，它建立为独立王国。而若干世纪以前，尼罗河水泛滥，冲垮了古都。
    但毕竟，尼罗河所赋予的远大于它索取的。正如古希腊历史学家希罗多德所言：埃及是尼罗河赐予的礼物。
    每年洪水过后，土地上都会留下一层淤泥，这是能让庄稼茁壮成长的天然优良肥料。
    这个被称作"Nilometer"的设备，是古代法老用来预测一定时期内洪水的可能高度。用于推断丰收与否的"Nilometer"，其实就是制定税收标准的装置。
    最具埃及农业特色的无疑是枣椰树。农民用它建房顶，打家具，编篮子。但最重要的是，世上最甜的水果就长在这树上——枣。
    红枣就在这里出售。风干的枣吃起来不太甜很但脆。半甜的枣呈现出橙色；棕黑色的枣口感很软，它们的糖份仿佛已经溶进了嘴里。
    如果尼罗河只提供简单的原料，北非人就会把它们变成美味佳肴。埃及食物多辛辣，并要用酱汁浸透。
    FOUHL是当地食品，这种鲜美的豆汤在各个街道都能买到。
    埃及人习惯用红茶解酒。非穆斯林也能享用当地美味的葡萄酒和啤酒，其实它们就原产于埃及。早在第三王朝，喝酒吃面包被视为是吉兆。
    现在我们见到的是位于卢克索附近的村庄。其标志性房屋是用泥和稻草砌成的。
    一些屋外画着彩色的画，有些画很罕见。飞机，离别，轮船以及旅途中的景象。壁画讲述着伊斯兰教徒去麦迦朝圣的习俗。那是教徒一生中至少要履行一次的责任，鲜活的壁画的也将代代相传。
    现在，尼罗河沿岸人口激增，首都开罗已经是世界人口最多的第2大城市。
    看着熙来攘往的人群，仿佛又看到了莱比西斯二世的故事重现。他的塑像早已矗立在开罗中央车站。莱比西斯二世有一百多个孩子，而今天的埃及每20秒就有一个新生命诞生。当地人口年轻化，5千4百万人口中，有一半不满20岁。
    喧闹的开罗会给每位来访者留下深刻的印象。
    而肃穆的法老像似乎也在参与着后人的生活。也许，你能从他的眼中读到关于尼罗河的种种证实。

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

3 silt   

n.淤泥，淤沙，粉砂层，泥沙层；vt.使淤塞；vi.被淤塞

参考例句：

• The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.湖里几乎快被淤泥和植物填满了。
• During the annual floods the river deposits its silt on the fields.每年河水泛滥时都会在田野上沉积一层淤泥。

4 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

5 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

6 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

7 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

8 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

10 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

11 fresco   

n.壁画；vt.作壁画于

参考例句：

• This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。
• So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

12 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

13 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

14 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。

15 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

16 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

17 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

18 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。